But Where Would They Live?
by Verdot
Summary: Two leaders, differing styles, a surprising mutual admiration.


Rufus didn't really have a method for dealing with what had happened between them. Most of his dalliances-few and far between-were basically transactions. Unlike his father, he didn't like to mix business with pleasure. Or even a lot of personal things.

But Elfe sometimes acted as if she were raised by monsters in the wild, and as such was crawling out of the window of his hotel room.

"Whatever are you doing?"

"Beating the press," she said, fully clothed, and he almost thought he saw her wink before she disappeared from view.

_ooo_

Elfe didn't like to think that she was an easy girl to charm; charms really weren't necessary, being a Cosman. The pervading culture surrounding AVALANCHE was that of a close detachment and an emphasis on the importance of the group over the importance of individual entanglements. In her dealings with Midgarians she'd found that most of them were stuck in outmoded dichotomies and cared far too much about image, especially where bedroom habits were concerned.

Rufus, for all his reputation of fear and ambition had been very charming, very attractive, and not at all what she had pictured in her mind. And alone, after a few glasses of something strong she had forgotten there was a professional relationship and that Midgarians frowned on a lot of things.

"Elfe, I have to say, this is a rather tight organization you run."

Rufus looked at her with only a hint of amusement, something that only the people in the know would notice, and that was only the two of them.

"It's a good investment for you. Your money isn't being wasted." She stood taller, to make sure he knew that he didn't hold anything over her; no more than she held over him.

"I look forward to seeing how it grows in the future."

_ooo_

Rufus didn't quite understand how Elfe had such a following the first time he'd met her. She wasn't the best speaker; her speeches were better described as a short barking of instructions. She didn't do political dances, and had she been born in Midgar she never would have advanced to where she was now.

Elfe's people seemed to almost _love_ her, but more importantly, the survivalist and borderline ruthless nature came out when she was fighting. The Turks he was slowly gaining some allegiance with had let him view a few of the videos of her in action and she was much stronger than she looked. If only she took some of what made her fight like that into her other dealings.

But now, while Rufus hid under a somewhat hideous straw hat and sunglasses in the woods of Wutai Elfe was instructing a child in guerilla tactics. Unlike a lot of women, it wasn't maternal how she showed him how to lay traps and stay quiet. She was stern, but obviously cared enough to single this one straggler out and give him individual instruction. It was familiar, but he couldn't quite place it.

Not his style, but Rufus filed away some of the nuances, just in case.

_ooo_

Midgar made Elfe ache, a deep ache that occasionally made it difficult to pick up her sword. But what seemed to weaken her was Rufus's natural element, from the clean metal and glass to what was surely his regular suit; a pristine white. It made her hope that she tracked mud into the room.

"There are no cameras here, so I won't be shouting about a break-in to keep up appearances." Elfe had figured that she would like the Rufus who wore straw hats and moved incognito around her home and family better than the Shinra in his natural element. But as much as she disliked Midgar, she couldn't help but admire how Rufus was when he wasn't pretending. Elfe could almost understand why he was going through such lengths to overthrow his father and secure power. Rufus was a bird roosting in the tops of false trees as much as she was a ground-dwelling creature that was sheltered by forests.

"Your security isn't what I thought it would be."

"Well, Veld's out of town, that helps."

She'd never to bother to learn anyone else's names; righteous though her cause may be, she didn't want names on her conscience. Elfe propped her sword against his desk, but remained standing. Rufus wasn't directly armed, but his gun was within reach. It was only fair.

"You know what our next target is, are you prepared?"

He stood, and Elfe wondered for a moment what it would be like if she did things through his sorts of channels. They stood at the same height, and for reasons she was never really sure of with herself, they had similar affects on people. After all, there wasn't much difference between fear and love when it came down to fighting and revolutions. It was a pity that Rufus didn't really _believe_ the way that she did.

"I'm prepared to talk about something other than business."

Elfe could never afford to feel fear; feel much of anything that deeply. It made sense that someone that didn't bleed or cry would be alone in a room with her. And probably because it wouldn't and couldn't last she went along with it. There weren't any cameras in the room, after all.

_ooo_

Elfe didn't leave much when she left, and what she left was easy to fix with a little dry cleaning. Rufus had to wonder how someone that seemed to leave dirt after close contact didn't smell like a chocobo barn. Maybe she filled her pockets and left smudges on his coat just to remind him of her presence.

The political climate was changing, and sooner or later the old regime was going to find out about his double dealing. He'd drop AVALANCHE like he'd dropped cigars, and that would be that.

Still, he hoped Elfe would come out alive after all of this. Opposing ideologies notwithstanding, they weren't in competition. And it would be such a waste.


End file.
